Contents

Overview

The Schmidt Scout, or simply Scout, is a weak but cheap bolt-action sniper rifle available to both teams.

This weapon will always kill a target if a headshot is scored, but will not inflict enough damage to eliminate a player with full health if a headshot is not scored. Given the high mobility even when scoped, this weapon lends itself towards quick actions.

This weapon is often used in early rounds by players who wish to snipe. In later rounds, it will be mainly used by the losing team or by players who have insufficient funds that prohibit them to buy a superior sniper rifle. Normally, it will be replaced by more powerful sniper rifles, such as the AWP and semi-auto sniper rifles. However, a skilled Scout user can suppress most assault rifles at long range and some other sniper rifles by maintaining their ability to score headshots on their enemies and being concealed with stealth.

This weapon is not available in Assassination mode. In fact, this is the only weapon that cannot be purchased on both teams in assassination.

Properties

The Scout is an extremely lightweight weapon. While wielded, the player's movement speed is 260 units per second (default speed is 250), meaning a user can move faster. While zoomed in, the movement speed is 220 units per second. The Scout is one of the many weapons able to shoot underwater.

Advantages

Quiet and low muzzle flash

Unlike the AWP, firing the Scout without using the scope will only affect minor accuracy

Increases movement speed when wielded

Medium damage

Slightly faster rate of fire than the AWP; reload time is shorter than the other sniper rifles as well

High ammo capacity; fires 7.62 rounds and shares magazines with the AK-47, G3 SG/1 and a few other weapons

A Desert Eagle is also a good sidearm for Scout users. Use the Scout to engage enemies at a range and switch to the Desert Eagle should an enemy get too close, especially with its one-hit headshot. Furthermore, if a bullet from a Scout hits but doesn't kill a target, the Desert Eagle can finish off the target within a few shots (A single hit sometimes).

Switch to the Scout if you need to run, for you can run a little faster while wielding the Scout than you could while wielding any other weapon, including pistols and the knife.

Scoring headshots is easier with this weapon due to its scope and accuracy.

Accuracy is greatly increased when the player ducks; aim for the head and see the results.

Prior to Counter-Strike: Source, the Scout requires its user to steady their weapon to be accurate, similar to the AWSM. Like most guns, firing while crouched makes this gun even more accurate than when standing.

However, the Scout in Counter-Strike: Source is more accurate, so users don't have always to crouch at long range to score headshots. The potential range issues found in earlier games are also eliminated.

Although the Scout may not always kill enemy opponents unless their health is low, it can cause massive damage that would lead victims very vulnerable to being killed easily and they may retreat often instead of engaging you and your team members.

Two direct hits on any part of the body will kill.

The Scout can penetrate multiple targets if they are close and lined up. It's possible to get double or even triple kills like the AWP.

Go for headshots if enemies are distracted by your teammates, when the enemy is unaware of your presence, or you are supporting your team from a distance.

Working with other team members is a good idea. You can use scout to pick off wounded enemies. If your opponents' health is below 75, one shot from the Scout should do enough damage to kill.

If you do hit an enemy player with the Scout but that player survives and retreats, it is possible to either rush into the position of the opponent, unless you suspect he is moving back to other groups of opposing team members, or throw an HE grenade to finish him off.

Zoom in and mark the central red-dot (1.6 and Condition Zero) / center (Source) of the crosshairs with a wipeable sketch or marker pen of the color of the crosshair. This way the Scout can be used unscoped as a bolt-action battle rifle. This also works with the lower recoil sniper rifles like Krieg 550 Commando and the G3SG1.

This weapon can be "fun" to use, as it offers increased speed for the user and is challenging enough for players who are seeking for a weapon that others that cannot easily use. If the Scout is in the right hands of a player who has practiced long enough, this weapon can be deadly and the user can save and gain lots of money (as the weapon is fairly cheap compared to the other sniper weapons).

Due to the fact that a Scout user's speed is increased, the weapon is very ideal in continuously firing bullets at targets while strafing (moving left and right) thus making enemies frustrated in hitting the user.

Using this as a frontline combat weapon is NOT recommended, unless you are good at scoring headshots, or you have some teammates to weaken and distract your foes.

The Schmidt Scout has an advantage if an enemy player is at a very long range and if he is not armed with a sniper rifle. However, beware of experienced players that are armed with weapons like the AK-47 that can kill you instantly with a headshot.

Countertactics

Use caution. Hide whenever an enemy sniper has spotted you.

If you suspect an enemy player, who is wielding the Scout, is hiding somewhere in the area, make sure you immediately find cover. If not possible, try to strafe and avoid getting killed by a headshot. If you do get hit by a bullet from the weapon, do not stay still in your previous position as the enemy Scout user will attempt to fire the weapon again without even using the scope.

Don't stop moving and strafing. Enemies armed with the Scout will have trouble hitting you.

Use weapons with a more powerful caliber. The AWP has the advantage against the Scout, since you will most likely to survive if your opponent failed to score a headshot, your shot will almost guarantee the kill.

Avoid all medium and far contact with its users.

SMG or assault rifles are recommended to strike down its user at close to mid-range.

If you need to engage its user at long range, an AWP is the best choice.

In the older versions of Counter-Strike, the tactical shield can provide ideal cover and defense against Scout users due to the low damage and bolt-action disadvantages from the weapon.

Make sure when you face this long range weapon you keep moving. Make sure he can't aim at your head.

In most cases, the enemy needs 2 shots to kill you, so seek cover if you are hit, and ask a teammate to flank the user or take him out.

Do not try to rush head-on in a straight line into an enemy Schmidt Scout user as the rifle can shoot at slightly faster rate than the AWP. If your movement is predictable, skilled players can kill you with a headshot. Instead, throw a flashbang to hamper the opponent's aiming, a smoke grenade to cover up your tracks, or a HE grenade to flush him out. Sometimes, strafing and even jumping can increase your chances of surviving.

Use a Smoke Grenade to cover choke points, half-open doors, or the spot that can be used by snipers as the killing zone to protect yourself.

Like the AWP, the Scout is not effective at close ranges unless the user is experienced on scoring headshots without zooming in. If possible, try to force close quarter combat with the user. Almost any weapons that has a better rate of fire than the Scout can easily take an user down. Even when the target pulled out the sidearm you should still have the upper hand.

Neutral

Negative

Lower damage (the Scout will not be able to kill targets instantly unless it scores a headshot or the target has low health)

At long range, the Scout is less accurate than the AWP (The AWP has 100% accuracy when standing still or when crouching while the Scout is only 100% accurate when fired at a crouched position) In games prior to Source version, it seems to have range issues that AWP does not have; thus at extreme range combat, the AWP user almost always has the advantage.

Other bots will purchase the Scout when they cannot afford the AWP. If they cannot afford the Scout either, they will buy the Galil/FAMAS, which is followed by the MP5 as a last resort.

Deleted Scenes

The Scout has appeared in many missions of Deleted Scenes, mainly because it is a very balanced sniper rifle and, in Deleted Scenes, the Scout is considered to be CT exclusive. Unlike its multiplayer version, in easy difficulty, the Scout has ability to kill enemies with one shot when the shot is landed to the head or stomach of a target, in which players can treat the Scout like the AWP.

Although not as popular as the AWP in the Counter-Strike community, there are a few maps made exclusively for Scout users. The layout and the playstyle is similar to AWP maps and it is ideal for practicing this weapon. These maps start with the prefix of "scout_".

In Deleted Scenes, the Scout has a different firing sound.

In Deleted Scenes, if the Scout is used by a friendly NPC, it will not inflict maximum damage on the player, but it can gib other NPCs. However, if used by the player, it will not gib anything but will kill most NPCs instantly.

The Scout appears to be exclusive to CTs in Deleted Scenes while the AWP appears to be exclusive to the Terrorists.

If the Scout is used by an NPC in Deleted Scenes, there is no laser sight, even if that NPC attacks the player. However, this can only be seen in third party missions.

While wielding the Scout, players has a running velocity of 260 units, meaning users can somehow run faster than any equipment, including the knife.

In Counter-Strike: Source, the in-game model appears to be that of the first-generation Steyr Scout, distinguishable by how the scope is mounted towards the front of the rifle, rather than at the back like most sniper rifles.

However, the player model features the scope on the back of the rifle and this will not affect usage of the scope.

Although players cannot buy the Scout in Assassination maps, in Counter-strike 1.5, the Scout can be bought by pressing 5 on the keyboard while in the rifle purchase menu. This has been fixed in Counter-Strike 1.6.

The only Counter-Terrorism units to officially use the Scout in real-life are the Taiwanese Thunder Squad and Kazakhstani SWAT units.

Even though the Scout is a bolt-action sniper rifle, the bolt animation is not shown in third-person in Counter-Strike: Source, unlike the AWP. The user will simply fire the Scout without ever operating the bolt of the gun like in older versions.